A 15-foot minke whale was rescued last Sunday, by the Center for Coastal Studies Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) after it was trapped in fishing gear 40 miles southwest of Martha's Vineyard.

The animal, which is said to have spent at least three days entangled, was first sighted last Friday afternoon by a passing sailor, the response team said in a statement Monday, as per The Boston Globe

Like Us on Facebook

They had to put off the rescue until Sunday though due to the bad weather on July 4.

The non-profit organization based in Provincetown noted in its press release that the creature was floating at the surface of the water, inhibited to swimming in small circles with its lower jaw wrapped tightly in rope which was fastened to fishing gear at the bottom of the sea bed.

Described as very wary of boats, the whale reportedly submerged every time it was approached.

When the rescue team finally managed to pull up next to the whale on Sunday, they entangled the animal using a hook-shaped knife at the end of a long pole and a control rope on the entangling gear.

Once it was freed, the animal immediately swam away despite suffering some injuries.

 "I think the whale is probably doing well today; it may be a little sore from being entangled for so many days, but overall it looked to be in good condition once we released it," Jenn Tackaberry, one of the responders, said in the press release, CBS News reported.

Meanwhile, fellow MAER member Bob Lynch noted that the recent incident highlighted the significance of boaters reporting entangled animals.

 "We are very thankful that the mariner reported the whale," Lynch said. "Had we not received notification as quickly as we did, the outcome would have been very different."

Considered as the second smallest baleen whales, male minke whales measure an average of 23 feet while females grow up to 26 feet on average. Usually spotted off the coast of New England, the whales raise their flukes out of the water when they dive, hardly breach and can remain submerged for as long as 20 minutes, according to Vineyard Gazette.

TagsTangled Whale, Minke Whale, Fishing Gear